"Completion Makes the Tragedy" track listing:

1. My Affliction2. Democracy Lesson3. Nothing But A Loser4. Five More To Fix5. Burning With A Shade6. Low7. On My Way8. Reflection9. Completion Makes The Tragedy10. Hatchet11. Vulture Of The Throne12. At Last

"a refreshing album that certainly doesn’t rely on mimicry to achieve its sound"

It’s amazing how many musical projects Bjorn “Speed” Strid is juggling at the moment. In addition to Disarmonia Mundi, Terror 2000, and the more famous Soilwork, the German-based Coldseed can now be added to the list. With Coldseed, Speed once again lends his vocal talents, but in a more mundane manner than is to be found in any of the aforementioned metal acts.

Coldseed is less extreme and more accessible than might be expected. Most tracks on “Completion Makes the Tragedy” are delivered with a mid-pacing that almost commits to a type of metal-light. Speed does reach his normal growl on some tracks, but even then the musical atmosphere feels almost like an industrial/pop/metal hybrid, rather than a full blown metal assault. Coldseed sounds somewhat similar to Soilwork, only with less focus on crunching riffs and less intensity.

If that sounds like an assailment on Coldseed’s sound, it isn’t meant to be such. “Completion Makes the Tragedy” is a refreshing album that certainly doesn’t rely on mimicry to achieve its sound. Several tracks on the album warrant attention, such as the catchy “Democracy Lesson,” which possesses a trademark Speed melodic chorus, “Nothing but a Loser,” almost sounding nu-metalish with its chopped guitars and simplistic yet catchy riffs, and “Low.” Also worth noting is the ballad “Reflection,” which is extremely well done. Unfortunately, not every track fares so well. The opening track sounds like a misplaced Black Label Society track, complete with the sloppy vocals, and several tracks on the album just seem like filler for an album that could have easily been trimmed down to nine or ten tracks.

Coldseed likely will not appeal to many fans of more extreme metal, but fans of the Scandinavian/Northern European metal scene would do well to check out this album. Fans of Speed will, of course, want to pick up his latest offering.